Today’s theme, “Group membership,” points to collective animal names.
Spangram “IN IT TOGETHER” ties all theme words into one idea.
Answers include PRIDE, FLOCK, HERD, ARMY, ANT,S and more.
The New York Times Strands puzzle for today comes wrapped in a clever theme: Group membership, prompting solvers to look beyond individual creatures and think in terms of their collective identities. True to form, the puzzle layers subtle clues, associative thinking, and a memorable spangram, making it a delightful challenge for word-game enthusiasts.
The official theme hint, ‘Group membership,’ is a good nudge toward categories in which living beings are known by collective nouns. The extra clue, ‘More of each than went into the Ark’, focuses the light even more, indicating animals in flocks, and this already prepared the revealing of the nine theme words that were hidden on the grid.
For the solvers who wanted a more gentle entrance, the list of opening letters served as a structured nudge. The first two letters of each theme word, PR, IN, LI, FL, GE, CO, HE, AR, AN, gave a roadmap that’s especially helpful when matching clusters on the grid.
The evocative spangram ‘IN IT TOGETHER,’ holding the puzzle together in the central string, perfectly aligned with the idea of groups, unity, and collective existence, arcs across the board in a visually satisfying sweep. Its strategic placement assists in connecting disparate corners of the puzzle, acting as a spine for the remaining theme words.
Once the spangram falls into place, the rest of the grid unfolds smoothly. Today’s theme words are familiar names for animal groups, providing a little linguistic flair and some natural-world trivia.
The total enumeration consists of:
PRIDE
LIONS
FLOCK
GEESE
COWS
HERD
ARMY
ANTS
Every single word perfectly emphasizes the concept of animals uniting under common group names, be it a lion’s pride, an ant’s army, or a goose’s flock.
Also Read: NYT Strands Hints and Answers for November 29, 2025
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle hits that sweet spot: for clarity of theme and playful discovery in about equal measure. With its resonant spangram and line-up of neatly connected group terms, it is a satisfying solve for both newbies and veterans. If you like puzzles that celebrate the patterns of language and the quirks of the natural world, this one delivers both with charm and coherence.